POLICE on Tyneside believe a thief may have been seriously injured after smashing a house window in an attempt to steal figurines.

A police spokesman said a 78-year-old man and his 76-year-old wife were at their home in Grange Crescent, in Gateshead, at 8.30pm on Thursday, when two men armed with a claw hammer smashed the window showering them with glass.

A police spokesman said that a lot of blood was left at the scene and the suspect is believed to have cut his hands, upper arm or upper body.